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Buttermilk Aebleskiver

Buttermilk Aebleskiver

Aebleskiver, or ebelskiver, are small spherical pancakes. They’re traditionally Danish, but the pancakes have been enjoying an upswing in popularity lately and are a little more common now than they once were. The pancakes are often filled with fruit or jam, rather than being served with syrup. You might not see the real name associated with recipes for these little treats, though, as some stores have decided to rename them simply “filled pancakes” to make them seem a little more approachable to consumers.

The batter for aebleskiver is a fairly typical pancake batter. The primary difference between a regular, American pancake and one of these is that the aebleskiver need to puff up high enough to fill out their pan and make a spherical shape. To help the pancakes along, egg whites are separated and beaten to soft peaks, before being folded into the batter. You need a special pan to make aebleskiver, one with round depressions to hold the batter. Older pans will be cast iron, but many are now available with nonstick surfaces. The pancakes are cooked on one side, then flipped over using a skewer to cook on the other side and fill out their signature shape.

When I’ve made aebleskiver in the past, I’ve stuck with the traditional filled-pancake idea. This time, I wanted to get more of an “American pancake” flavor into the aebleskiver – meaning that I wanted something I could dip into maple syrup. I used buttermilk in the batter and they turned out beautifully. The pancakes were light, tender and very fluffy. The interiors are moist, but fully cooked, and have a great consistency for soaking up a bit of syrup. They’re good on their own, with just a dusting of powdered sugar, too.

Aebleskiver pan

Buttermilk Aebleskiver
2 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar, divided
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup all purpose flour
confectioners’ sugar or syrup, to serve

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1 tbsp sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add vegetable oil and buttermilk and mix well. Whisk in salt, baking powder and flour until batter is relatively smooth, with only a few lumps, and no streaks of flour remain.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with remaining tbsp of sugar until soft peaks form. Fold into flour mixture.
Once the batter is made, heat aebleskiver pan over medium heat until very hot. Brush each of the wells with a bit of vegetable oil, then fill each indentation just about to the top with batter.
When the batter bubbles slightly (just like a regular pancake) and the bottom is golden, turn over by inserting a fork (or skewer) into the side and flipping quickly. Cook until second side is golden brown. If the aebleskiver are too dark, turn he heat down slightly.
Keep in a single layer in a slightly warm oven until serving, if not serving immediately as they cook.
Serve with powdered/confectioners sugar or syrup, for dipping.

Makes 21 aebleskiver.

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13 Comments
  • Bridget
    September 20, 2008

    Those look dangerous…I’m sure it’s easy to “just have one more”…which in my case would probably be 10 more! Yum!

  • Mary
    September 20, 2008

    Thank you so much for posting these. I recently purchased one of these pans and have been waiting to try it out. You have given me the confidence to give it a go.

    Thanks so much,

    Mary

  • Eeva-Maija
    September 20, 2008

    Hey!

    I’ve found here through Bake or Break and now I just had to comment because you were doing these marvellous Danish Christmas treats! I spent a year in Copenhagen and just fell in love with these! I also have a pan to make them and plan to make having them a Christmas tradition for my family.

    Take a look at my baking blog as well, if you’re interested. I write my texts in both Finnish and English.

  • Lynda
    September 20, 2008

    Æbleskiver are a family favorite for us. In Denmark, you know it’s Christmas season when æbleskiver are served as after school treats, in the cafés and for tea. Now that we are in the U.S. we are getting better at making our own – I prefer the cast iron pans.

  • Corey
    September 20, 2008

    I had never considered cooking a pancake-style batter in this manner, but I am excited to try it out. The pan looks an awful lot like a takoyaki pan too.

  • Sara
    September 21, 2008

    I love these, especially with jam in the middle!

  • Kari
    September 23, 2008

    Thanks! I’m going to try this out with my takoyaki pan!

  • Zoë François
    October 6, 2008

    I just had these yesterday for the first time! I’m so pleased to find your wonderful version so I can make them. Lovely.

  • Serajwl
    October 6, 2008

    Just the other day I was trying to explain to my boyfriend what the heck and aebleskiver was! Now I can just show him. I would make them if I had the pan =[

  • Michele
    December 25, 2008

    Just wanted to advise a nice little cast iron aebleskiver pan at TractorSuppply.com for $9.00; I bought one for my husband for Christmas.

    Michele

  • tyler
    April 3, 2009

    wow.. these are great! can’t wait to try them out for my girlfriend =)

  • Julie
    December 4, 2009

    We bought this off tv but it was sold as “pancake puffs!!” the kids just love them! thanks for the recipie!

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